Luka vs Adrien
by anxresi
Summary: When Luka makes his move on Marinette, Adrien thinks he shouldn't care. After all, she's just a friend. Or is she... Takes places directly after the events of Captain Hardrock.
1. Chapter 1

It was just after the band's big performance on Juleka's mother's boat, when Rose almost blew out the speakers with her wicked solo, that Luka dared make his big move.

"Hi Marinette…" he smiled at the bluenette with that adorable grin of his. "I was just wondering… would you like to go out with me some time?"

"E-Erm..." Marinette stammered, as a familiar feeling of butterflies built up in her stomach. And for once, she couldn't de-akumatise them. "Y-You don't mean like, o-on a date, d-do you?"

"Why Marinette, whoever taught you to be so forward?!" Luka's stunning eyes lingered on the stuttering girl for a few painful seconds longer. "I was simply suggesting we have a drink together, where we could discuss our mutual love of music, and maybe a few other things too…"

"N-No, n-no…" Marinette waved her hands in the air in panic, almost knocking Nino overboard (who was helping to pack the gear away) in the process. "T-That was just a joke. I-It would be stupid to think that you'd want to go out with me, after we've just… I-I mean, not that you're not incredibly… P-People should always take these kind of things slow…"

Surprisingly, instead of treating the bluenette like the babbling idiot she felt like, Luka seemed to find her semi-nervous breakdown quite charming. "Relax, okay? We'll just be two friends, getting to know each other, on a table at a quiet cafe. And if anything should come of it, well… we can deal with those romantic feelings later."

" **W-What**?!" Marinette had gone from all soft and gooey one minute, to feeling like the world was about to cave in on her the next. _Oh, I wish I was as confident as Ladybug all the time_ …

"Got you!" Her self-implosion was only halted by the sensation of Luka gently tweaking her nose. "See, I can be just as good at jokes as you. I reckon we're going to have some serious fun together! My sis was right Marinette, you really _are_ a riot!"

"J-Juleka said that about me?!" Marinette grinned sheepishly, trying to calm down for once.

"Yep, and a lot more besides." Luka gave her a meaningful wink. "She told me how you managed to save picture day, what you've done for the school as class president, how you always seem to disappear when Ladybug turns up…"

"E-Er yes, quite a coincidence that." Marinette audibly gulped, before attempting to change the subject. "S-So, after school tomorrow sounds fine. Shall I meet you on the steps of College Dupont?"

"That suits me just great." Luka nodded his approval of the plans. "Now if you don't mind, I have to mothball this guitar again for now. If anything should happen to it, I don't know what I'd do."

"Okay, then." Marinette felt more at peace now, knowing that Luka's intentions were honest and pure (after all, as everyone who knows her knows, her heart belongs to a certain blonde model), but that still didn't stop her from getting a sneaky little nudge from Alya on her way back.

"So, should I start planning the wedding yet? What sort of flowers do you want, and shall the invitations be scented, or not? Can my mom do the catering..."

"...Shut up Alya, and pass me that microphone."

Also listening in with keen interest was one Adrien Agreste, though he was trying his utmost not to show it. His absorption wasn't quite missed by his kwami Plagg, who as usual, came out to tease him during moments of romantic crisis.

"So, it's finally happened. The kid's in love. Shall I sing you a ballad? I can do it in the key of A minor, or the key of Z major. Which do you want to hear?"

"Get back in my bag, Plagg. I-I'm just looking out for a friend, that's all. And for your information, there's no such thing as a 'Key of Z'."

"Yes there is… isn't that how lullabies are made? When people go to sleep, don't they go 'zzzz'? You mean I've been lied to all this time?! **Nnoo**! Now I shall have to eat _twice_ the cheese tonight to help me overcome the trauma!"

"Whatever Plagg, just stop bothering me about my personal relationships. You know my heart belongs to Ladybug, so why are you so worried about me hooking up with Marinette? It's not going to happen!"

"I am not presently at liberty to divulge my sources, but the answer may surprise you. Anyway, my feline senses indicate you'll be going down to the cafe tomorrow to spy on our courting couple. They've never been wrong before, either. So, should I bring a packed Camembert lunch, or do you think I could wait until we get back?"

"W-What?! No, I'll do no such thing! Luka seems like a great guy to me, and I'm sure his interest in Marinette is totally based on her magnetic personality and her cute… look, I'm staying at home tomorrow, to work on my piano skills, just like I promised my Dad. Is that clear?!"

"Yes, Lover boy. Whatever you say…" Plagg nodded with a chuckle, making a mental note to prepare food early the following morning.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, let's see how this does. :)


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh what do I do… _what_ do I do?! I-I mean, I _know_ this is just me spending time with a new friend, but if that's the case, then why do I feel so... _uneasy_ about the whole thing?!" Marinette almost wore a groove in the floor, as she paced up and down outside College Dupont waiting for her 'date', after suffering through one of her most taxing school days yet.

Between bouts of almost falling head-over-heels all day long at the slightest contact, (her mind unaccountably being distracted by the impending cafe meeting) and Chloe's constant snickering at her continued misfortune (she was beginning to think that girl was the spawn of Satan himself) everything had been almost a constant struggle, from the minute she'd risen bleary-eyed from under her covers that morning.

Not that she'd even gotten much respite from her tortuous pining during the hours usually reserved for sleep, either. _His gorgeous blue hair, just like mine. That daring piercing that glitters, just like his eyes. His collection of Jagged Stone memorabilia, amazing. Could he truly be 'the one'…_

"Um, _hello_ … Earth to Marinette?!" Tikki had been waiting an eternity for the coast to be clear so she could speak to her Chosen, and even now she had the chance to wave and shout in the blunette's ear, she still couldn't seem to stir the lovestruck girl from her perpetual state of delirium.

So, the indignant kwami decided to try another tactic. She hesitated to use it, but it had worked before one Valentine's Day last year, and she really wanted to make sure the noticeably drooling Marinette was still all there in her head.

" **Ow**!" The blunette screeched, as tiny Tikki gave her user the slightest of pinches, which nevertheless had the desired effect of stirring the daydreaming girl from her self-induced trance. "What did you do _that_ for?!"

"Sorry Marinette…" Tikki felt a little ashamed of herself, and her head bowed slightly as she hovered next to a wincing blunette. "... But it was starting to look like your mind was elsewhere, like another dimension, for instance. Is everything okay with you?"

"Absolutely! Definitely! I mean, what could p-possibly…" Marinette's face was initially a picture of denial, but under close scrutiny from a suspicious kwami, she crumbled like an old cookie. "...Oh, who I am kidding? I'm a mess! Just _look_ at me, Tikki! Odd socks, sweating buckets, and unable to even think straight without ending up on the planet Zog! What _am_ I going to do?!"

"This wouldn't be about a certain _musician_ , would it?" Tikki made a point of flying to her Chosen's side to comfort her, but even she couldn't resist a small mocking undertone in her speech.

" _Of course_ it is… and you know it!" Marinette shot her kwami a pointed look, referring to all the tossing and turning she'd done since late last night and early that morning. "E-Ever since I met Luka, I've felt like a nervous wreck! My legs have turned to jelly, my heart won't stop thumping, his most attractive features are engraved in my brain…"

"Hmm, I don't think we need a doctor to diagnose this particular problem…" Tikki noted, as she gently dabbed the cheek of her stressed-out companion. "I think what you have, is a crush."

"Oh, _don't be ridiculous,_ Tikki!" Marinette let out a hollow laugh, as her eyes uncontrollably flitted from left to right, as if she had something to hide. "It's not like I've never had these symptoms before, why the last time I experienced them was when Adrien gave me his u-umbrella…"

Marinette quickly ended her accidental confession there and then, but it was already too late: the jig was up. It was all she could do to cover her mouth before anymore incriminating evidence passed through it, and her face turned as intense a shade of scarlet as her giggling kwami ally close by.

"It's okay Marinette, I understand. I've seen it with the many other Ladybugs over the centuries, so don't think you're more immune from the pangs of first... sorry, _second_ love, than any of the previous superheroes I've taught. The only advice I can give you is to just be yourself, let your heart be the ultimate guide, and… _look out_!"

Marinette was about to question the anxious kwami's last two words there, but she'd already zipped away safely into the blunette's pocket.

It was only when the sound of someone clearing their throat nearby could be heard, that the puzzled teenage girl finally put everything together.

Tikki wasn't directing that final statement at her after all, the kwami was talking to _herself_.

"Why _hello_ there young lady, are you lost?" Luka asked the wide-eyed girl with amusement. "Would you like a grand tour of our lovely city, or would just a brochure be sufficient? I can direct you to a tourist information place where they're handing them out for free. They've got pictures, maps, everything!"

"Ha ha, very funny… I _don't_ think." Marinette crossed her arms in a huff. "Just the route to the cafe will be enough for now, thank you. Which one are we going to anyway, the riverside one, or the place nearer the centre? I have to be back by six if that's alright: I have plenty of homework to do, and unlike a certain stuck-up blonde in my class, I don't have a loyal stooge to finish it for me."

"Actually, _neither_." Luka commented with a smirk, as Marinette raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought I'd take you along to one of my favourite haunts, that I've been going to for years. It's a bit out of the way and very unadvertised, so you might not have been there before. But if you're like me, and I suspect you are, then you'll always be up for new adventures. And free refills on weekdays. So, are you coming?"

A clearly flustered Marinette just about managed to mutter "okay" under her breath, before she was taken by the arm and led away at a moderate speed. The ever-considerate Luka made sure that she wasn't being dragged away against her will, but for whatever reason, there wasn't much protest from the blunette as she and the musician disappeared further into the depths of Paris.

Meanwhile, a pair of shadowy figures emerged from just behind the steps, and the smallest silhouette said something to the larger one, as they watched the unsuspecting pair depart with keen interest.

"Funny place to go for a piano lesson, isn't it Lover Boy? In fact, I don't see anything resembling a musical instrument around here, apart from that old lady standing over there by the bus stop, who sort of looks like a drum."

"Plagg, I know you'd be breaking the habit of a lifetime by doing this, but could you _please_ stop being so rude all the time, and tell me what direction they went? I was, er, checking my watch a moment ago, so I must've missed where they were heading…"

"Checking your watch?! Adrien, I was _right here_. It's more as if your face went like _this,_ and you put your hands over your ears to cut out all the sick flirting those two lovebirds were doing. Can't say I blame you, though: the way they were carrying on, it almost made me cough up my Cream Of Camembert soup from earlier. Almost, but not _quite_."

"Okay, _okay_ enough already. Just raise a paw to show me where they were headed, and we'll have complete silence for the rest of the journey, thanks. Ever heard of the phrase 'cat got your tongue'? Well, I'd appreciate if you'd use it for once, if you'd be so kind now."

" **Me-ow**! Get you! Fine Mr Romeo, if you want so badly to be deprived of my witty banter for the duration of our little outing together, that's entirely up to you. In the meantime, I'll just entertain myself by pulling the face you made when you saw Luka and Marinette nattering away like an old married couple. Let's see… I think it was something like _this._ Would you say that was an accurate depiction, Lover Boy?"

"...Plagg, I swear to… I hope the wind changes, then you'll be stuck like that. At least afterwards you might be a bit less vain, and I could use the bathroom first in the morning, without you locking yourself in to stare intently into the mirror until school starts."

"Hey, these rock hard abs _deserve_ to be admired. And Adrien, even though you're being so cruel to me at the moment, I know you love me really, so I take no personal offence. It's all the stress you're under right now, from having your girlfriend stolen from under your nose. If you want my opinion, you _should_ be worried: Luka is some serious competition, so sensitive and manly at the same time, and did you _see_ that posture…?!"

"Plagg, time to hush. Or I'm cancelling this month's order of cheese."

"Wha… I'll be good! I'll be good!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Because you were all so nice and followed this story in your droves, the next chapter is released a little earlier than I originally planned. Remember: the more follows and favourites this attracts, the more I'll feel obligated to update faster. And that's a promise. Have a nice day! ;)


	3. Chapter 3

"...Then, she was so outraged at how Captain Hook was being persecuted, she went right up there on stage to give Peter Pan a 'piece of her mind'!"

"She _did_?! And what happened next, Luka?"

"Well Marinette, the kids in the audience weren't too impressed, they were booing like crazy and throwing candy at her. The worst part though, was when she grabbed the poor actor playing Peter by the tights while he was suspended in mid-air, and told him to 'stay on the ground, because she wanted to talk to him'."

"Wow! I'm surprised they let her get away with it."

"Actually, they _didn't_ , Marinette. The theatre security came and dragged her off shortly afterwards, but not before she managed to smash the strobe light that controlled Tinkerbell's actions, and snap the fake paper mache croc's jaw in two. I won't even tell you what she said to the Lost Boys…"

"Um, sounds like an evening never to be forgotten. I must say, your mom struck me as an 'interesting' character when I first met her, but I never thought her obsession with pirates ran _this_ deep…"

"You don't know the half of it. Shall I tell you about the time she almost made Juleka 'walk the plank' for getting a bad report card? Or when she bought home that damn parrot, who refused to stop squawking all night and pecked holes in all our boxes of cereal?"

"N-no, it's okay Luka, I think I get the general idea. What I really want to know is, how do you and your sister cope when she does things like this? I-I mean, I'm not implying it's unusual, b-but…"

"It's okay, Marinette. I understand how this might look to someone who doesn't know our family that well. The fact is, even though sometimes she does things that are a little mad, she's still the best mother we could possibly hope for. After all, she was nothing but encouraging when my sis came home with purple hair and 'goth' clothes one day, when other parents would have totally freaked out. And if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be half as good a guitar player as I am. She used to be in a band too, you know... The 'Jolly Rogers'? She also helped designed the group's unique look. Now do you see where she gets her love of all things buccaneer from?"

"Well I must say, that's kind of funny, seeing as poor old Roger wasn't so 'jolly' the other day, when he wrote your mother all those tickets for sound violations and even chased us in a pedal-boat when she got akumatized…"

"...Sorry Marinette, you've kind of lost me."

"Oh, well you see Luka, Roger is the name of the officer… Sabrina's father… you know what, never mind. I-I need to get a refill on my lemonade, anyway."

"Oh okay, do you want me to come with?"

"N-No, it's fine. You stay here, and I'll be back in a minute. I have to admit, this is _much_ easier than I thought it'd be! You're such a great listener, and none of the weird feelings I experienced last night have resurfaced…"

"Um, I hate to be impolite once more Marinette, but I sort of don't know what you mean yet again."

 _Oh no, it looks like I spoke too soon._ "N-Nothing, nothing at all. W-Well… be seeing you!"

Luka glanced at an unnaturally grinning Marinette oddly as she rose from her chair, almost having a head-on collision with a guy carrying a tray full of onion rings en route as she wobbled and bobbled across the seated area to the drinks dispenser.

 _Why am I always like this_ , she thought with concern, while pulling down the switch that would inevitably release the tangy beverage into her empty glass, _I start off all confident and strong, but as soon as the subject of 'love' emerges, I become a total nutso klutzo…_

"Miss…"

 _It's just like when I'm with Adrien, I can dance with him in front of everyone and sit next to him in a cinema wearing nothing but my pyjamas, but when push comes to shove, I always end up making a fool of myself. Why does this have to be so…_

"E-Er… M-Miss…"

 _What's that stupid phrase supposed to mean, anyway: 'follow your heart'? Because right now my heart is beating at like a million miles an hour, so it's not really making a lot of sense! In fact, this whole ordeal is driving me crazy! How can I feel the exact same way for two guys, barely a day after meeting them both? I think I need to go into therapy. Or better yet, become a nun. I wonder if I could make a baggy black and white ensemble work? Maybe, if I paired it with some sort of belt…_

"Miss! I really think you need to…"

" **What**? Oh sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice so much…" Marinette initially growled, then quickly readjusted her demeanour to something more approachable upon discovering one of the waitresses trying to get her attention. "You just kind of caught me by surprise, that's all. So, what is it? You do free refills here, right? Because I haven't exactly got enough cash on me to pay for another lemonade. Bad month at the bakery, you see…"

"Uh huh, okay.." The waitress, who was called Monique going by her name tag, was clearly just as confused as Luka had been earlier at the blunette's erratic behaviour. "Anyway, in regards to your query, I have some good news. The refills here _are_ completely free, so have as much drink as you want. It's all on the house."

"Phew, _that's_ a relief. For a moment there, I thought I was in big trouble…" Marinette was about to thank the waitress and turn back to the dispenser, when she noticed the young woman was still staring at her with obvious worry. "...Wait, why did you want to speak to me in the first place, if you _didn't_ think I was stealing lemonade?"

"Well, the same way I had some _good_ news…" it was at this point Monique cringed slightly, and her gaze fell lower to the blunette's waist area. "I also have some _bad_ news. As to what it is… well, I think you better see for yourself."

 _Wut_?! Marinette was suddenly a bit worried as her eyes went in a downward motion, but the 'bad news' the young woman referred to couldn't be _that_ bad… right?

Wrong.

 **AARGH**!

…

Luka had been having a great time. He really needed to thank his sister later on for giving him the motivation to 'take the plunge', as it were. He could never have plucked up the courage to do any of this on his own, usually it was other girls who asked _him_ out.

Strange how such a dedicated introvert like Juleka could be such an extrovert when it came to matters of the heart. _Now, if she could only take her own advice with Rose..._

Anyway, the last hour and a half had flown by like a warm breeze on a cold day, as Marinette had regaled him with beguiling tales of school life, fashion, music and many other subjects which Luka might usually find boring, but somehow coming from the soft lips of the blunette, took on a new air of fascination and exhilaration.

Despite her welcome openness though, he still got the distinct impression she was holding something back… a secret which, for whatever reason, she seemed unwilling to share.

Now Luka was not one to push the issue, being for all intents and purposes a perfect gentleman who'd sooner stay silent than upset his host.

But he had to admit, his curiosity _did_ get the better of him at certain points of Marinette's recollections of recent akuma-related events, when he noticed little holes and tiny gaps in her stories that didn't quite add up.

When he tried pressing her further on the inconsistencies though, the blunette seemed unnaturally eager not to dwell on them for more than a second, quickly moving the topic on with all the subtlety and skill of a seasoned politician.

 _My, my. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you really are a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, encased in a…_

Even as she stumbled and tumbled across the room with the inherent grace of someone with ants in their pants, or ran to the ladies room screaming as the lemonade meant for her cup instead ended up splashed all over her newly-pressed pink jeans, he was still captivated by this strange, sweet girl that he'd already felt a strong emotional connection with.

 _Maybe I'm taking things a bit too fast, but I don't think so. This could really be it, after so many disappointing dates before. Now, how to approach the issue, without seeming completely insincere and frightening her away. After all, as I've already seen numerous times since our first encounter, she can get kind of skittish_ …

…...

Also deep in thought at another table, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, were another pair of good friends on an afternoon out together. Only, they weren't really ordering anything except free water, and their trip was purely for study purposes rather than pleasure.

At least, _one_ of them seemed to think so.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing here, Plagg!"

"I _know_ , Adrien! Just _look_ at this sorry excuse for a cheese and wine menu... with NO Camembert?! This is an absolute _outrage_! I'll be complaining to the manager the next chance I get, you'll see!"

"Er Plagg, that's not _quite_ what I meant. Also, haven't you forgotten the Golden Rule of being a superhero, which is 'keep your secret identity a secret'? If anyone saw you in my company, I think it'll be pretty simple for them to figure out who Cat Noir is."

"...Darn Fu and his 'rules' and 'regulations'. What an uncontrollable tyrant that guy is! Oh well, at least nothing's going to stop me writing a strongly worded letter to the person in charge here. How many e's are there in 'cheese' again?"

"...I'm starting to wonder if _you're_ the one who should be going to public school, in place of me. How can someone be more than a thousand years old, and not know the first thing about spelling?"

"Hey, I resent that! I don't need to know that useless junk anyway, not when I can tell you everything you need to know about the manufacture of cheese, how it's processed, what abominations of nature cheddar and stilton are…"

"Plagg! Quick! **Hide**! While you were rambling on, I didn't see Marinette come back from the bathroom, and now she's looking this way! I hope she didn't see us over…"

" _Adrien_! What are you doing here? And, who were you talking to?!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Tune in next time, when things get _really_ complicated. :p


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette sighed as she stared ruefully at her annoyed reflection in the dirty washroom mirror, wondering for about the umpteenth time that day how she and Ladybug could be as different as night and day when it came to dealing with overtures from the opposite sex.

In costume, she could parry Cat Noir's shameless come-ons with ease. All it took was an extended eye-roll, usually accompanied by a sharp remark, for kitty to stop clawing her leg... and that was that.

As her 'normal' self though, just the merest hint of romantic intentions from someone she liked could result in her wandering around like a headless chicken for hours, while gabbering on with all the coherence and fluency of a drunken uncle.

To call it frustrating would be the understatement of the century. And now, she had an added problem.

She glanced downward from the reflective glass to her sodden jeans, which were now deeply stained with the lemonade which'd poured onto the denim while she'd been stuck in mental La La Land.

 _Mom'll go crazy when she sees these_ , the blunette gulped, as she pictured Sabine's apoplectic reaction upon discovering the ruined item of clothing. _They were only just hanging out to dry yesterday, and now they're going to have to be washed all over again. I wouldn't be surprised if she made me rinse them by hand in the tub..._

What made the situation even _worse_ though, was that this particular cafe Luka had introduced her to prided itself on the high fruit quota in it's freshly squeezed lemonade. But while this meant the drink was notable for its strong citrus taste, it presented a major problem for those unlucky enough to spill it on their trousers.

To be blunt, it now looked like Marinette had peed herself.

With no amount of paper towels able to absorb or remove the long yellow streak from her bottoms, panic began to creep into the blunette's subconscious to an even larger degree than before. _How am I supposed to get home like this… and Luka… what'll he think if he sees…_

There was nothing else for it. Marinette removed the thin jacket she wore around her shoulders and tied it around her waist, making sure the bigger end was at the front.

Sure, it was quite difficult to walk around casually like this, but it was infinitely better than being thought as an incontinent teenager. _Especially in front of 'him'_...

Her mind mildly wondering why she cared so much what a certain musician thought of her tarnished appearance ahead of everyone else there, the blunette bravely took a deep breath, took a couple of steps into the great unknown…

...Only for her paranoia regarding her soaked jeans to be quickly replaced by one of puzzlement, when she happened to catch a glimpse of a blonde boy she knew very well indeed, seated at a far-off table seemingly moving his mouth to no-one in particular.

 _Wait a minute, over there… is that…_?!

…

"O-Oh h-hi, M-Marinette…" Adrien's mind drew a blank on what to say next, so he simply came out with the first nonsense that popped into his head. "L-Lovely weather we're having, i-isn't i-it? I-I see you have your coat off..."

Alas, the blunette was not one to be thrown off by social pleasantries, and didn't really want to discuss the circumstances behind removing her jacket anyway. "Never mind that. I-I mean, while it's good to see you and all, it _is_ a bit strange running into you at this cafe that I don't think either of us have been to previously. Not to mention, I could've _sworn_ I saw you in quite an animated discussion with someone, but there's nobody else in sight…"

"E-Erm, don't be silly Marinette, I come here all the time! I-It's one of my favourite places to unwind, after a long photoshoot…" Adrien grimaced, deciding for now that the truth was best left untold. Usually he abhorred fibbing, but in this case being honest would lead to too many more awkward questions and possible complications. "J-Just because I didn't mention it before, doesn't mean I'm not a regular. A-And I was using my hands-free speaker on my phone, to let my dad know when I was going to be home. You know what a stickler he is for punctuality, r-right?"

"Hmm, I _guess_ so…" Marinette couldn't help but feel the model was leaving something out of his explanation, but she decided to ignore her inner voice for now. "Anyway, if you don't want to be on your own, you can always come over to join me and Luka. We're really enjoying ourselves, and I'm sure you'd get on with him as well! Wait 'til you hear about his mom, what a character!"

"Mmm…" Adrien seemed he wanted to ask the blunette something, but just bit his lip at the last second. "Ssoo… you and Luka, huh? If I did come over, are you sure I wouldn't be interrupting anything? I mean, the two of you did seem to be getting on like a house on fire over there. I wouldn't want to be a third wheel…"

"Huh?" A little taken aback at the slightly dour nature of Adrien's response, the blunette's eyes widened upon realisation of what he might be implying. "N-No n-no, it's nothing like _that_! We're just having a friendly chat and getting to know each other. We'd love you to keep us company if you like, so don't think you'd be in the way at all!"

"R-Really?" Adrien felt a palpable sense of relief upon hearing Marinette's firm denial of anything 'serious' going on, although he did his best not to show it. "I mean, of course I'd _love_ to come on over, it gets kind of lonely sometimes having a hungry floating pest as your only companion…"

"What?" Marinette wasn't sure if she'd heard right, and looked at the model with confusion.

 _Oops a daisy_. "I-I mean, there are a lot of wasps in here, aren't there? Probably attracted by the smell of that sticky lemonade. Stupid pests. The owner should really do something about them." _Nice save Agreste, very nicely done._

"Yes… 'sticky' lemonade… **grr**." Marinette gnashed her teeth in exasperation at being reminded of the best-selling drink's efficiency as a stain-causer, but refused to elaborate further.

Instead, she started moving back to where a pensive Luka waited for her return, turning her head slightly to make sure Adrien was following close behind.

…

"Welcome back, Marinette! Hope you managed to clean up that mess. I see you've bought a friend back with you, too..." Luka tried to sound cordial, but his beaming grin appeared to twitching a little. "...And it appears to be our resident piano player! It's great to see you again, Adrien! Right here… at the same time as us… at a place only a few other locals know about…"

"It's okay Luka, Adrien already explained things to me!" Marinette tried to reassure the skeptical musician. "He said he comes here all the time, so it's no surprise we should run into each other! And now, we have a party of three. Isn't that nice?"

"Oh, you _do_ , do you?" It was at this point Luka's suspicions of the new arrival seemed to reach fever pitch, and he stared at Adrien blankly. "Well that's funny, because I've been coming here for _years_ , living only a short distance away, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen you around before. Plus, whatever way you cut it, the presence of Paris's most famous teen supermodel would be noticed in such a small neighbourhood, with stampedes, traffic jams and the whole caboodle. Are you _positive_ you're not thinking of somewhere else…?"

" **Luka**! Are you telling me that you actually think Adrien might be… _lying_?" Before the blonde could mumble his way through a lame excuse, it was Marinette who unexpectedly came to his defense. "In all the time I've known him, Adrien has never once been dishonest with me. If he had, then I think I'd remember, because I _hate_ liars. If he says he's been here before regularly, then I believe him. You must have just missed him lots of times, that's all!"

"Yeah, _lots_ of times…" Luka was still apparently far from convinced, but seemed content not to debate the issue for now. "Adrien, I apologise if my words could be construed as doubting your trustworthiness for one minute. If Marinette says you're on the level, that's good enough for me. Anyway, it's good to have you here! Shall I get you a drink?"

"Oh, _darn_ it!" Marinette had checked out the time on her phone as Luka spoke, and cringed upon discovering how late it was. "Curse my strict curfews! I was supposed to be home twenty minutes ago! As if I'm not going to be in enough trouble already, with the lemonade spillage on my jeans. I'm going to have to love and leave you two, I'm afraid."

"O-Oh, that's sad." Adrien went to stand up, and reached his hand across the table to his female classmate. "Can I walk you back to the bakery?"

"No Adrien, _stay,_ by all means. Now that me and Marinette have got to know each other better, maybe it's time for us guys to 'hang out' for a bit." Sadly, Adrien's futile attempt at winning some easy brownie points from the blunette were quickly dashed by Luka's receptiveness….

...And of course, Marinette's recent independent streak didn't exactly help matters either. "It's okay Adrien, I'll be fine. You spend some quality time with Luka, I think you'll find he's just as awesome a person as he is playing the guitar. Well, see you both later, that's if I'm not grounded for life. Bye!"

Marinette gave the two boys a little wave as she half-ran out of the cafe, but neither of them spotted her cute farewell gesture.

Instead, the pair looked like they were involved in an especially intense staring contest, with the first one to blink being the loser.

After an unhealthy amount of time had elapsed, it was Adrien who felt obliged to 'break the ice'. _Maybe I've got it all wrong_ , he reflected somewhat guiltily, _and Luka just sees Marinette like I do, as a friend. Y-Yes that's right, just 'a friend'. Anyway, what shall we talk about..._

"S-So Luka… how 'bout that new XY album, huh? Pretty funky stuff. I think I prefer his earlier work myself, before he switched producers and went in a more techno direction. What about you?"

"Adrien, do you have a crush on Marinette, or not?"

Anyone who knows Luka well could tell you, 'beating around the bush' is simply not his style.

As Adrien Agreste had just found out for himself.

"U-um… what?"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Fourth chapter done, and done. Join us next time, for even more angsty drama, including a surprise revelation. Hmm… ;)


	5. Chapter 5

"U-Uh, what?"

Adrien's jaw almost began flapping freely in the wind as Luka asked his armour-piercing question, and it was all the teen model could do to avoid falling back on his chair in shock.

...Which was just as well really, as after the previous 'scene' Marinette had caused earlier with her misuse of the lemonade machine, the irritated manager had emerged from his back office to keep a close eye on these 'disruptive' teens who were disturbing the usually serene atmosphere of his cafe.

Back to current events, and Luka continued to quietly observe Adrien tripping over his own words in his woeful attempt at responding with an understandable answer. "W-well you see… M-Me and her… t-that is to say, m-me and Marionette… I-I mean, um, Marinette… have been friends for well, just over a year... a-and I was just… well, l-looking out for her today, t-to make sure she'd be okay, so I followed her here out of the goodness of my heart. Y-Yes, _that's_ it… I think?"

"I _see_ …" Luka raised an unconvinced eyebrow, and he replied to Adrien's claim in a deadpan, monotone voice. "So you decided to be her bodyguard for the day, in one of the safest areas of Paris, _without_ letting her know in advance to protect her from... _which_ undefined threat, exactly? _Me_ , perhaps? I must say, I'm very touched by your faith in me! Would you like to be Marinette's chaperone on all her future outings? After all, that term sounds so much better than 'stalker', doesn't it?"

Luka was obviously peeved off with Adrien's apparent lack of confidence in the musician and the blonde's own elusive relationship with the truth, so the under pressure model did the smartest thing of all: carrying on with the lie. _Oops_.

"N-No, _not you_ Luka, definitely not you! W-Well, it's not like I know you _that_ well, b-but you seem like a decent guy. No, the 'thing' I was trying to protect Marinette from actually lurks all around us. At first, they may seem like harmless butterflies fluttering about innocently. But then, one of them might land on a precious personal item, and you might not even be yourself anymore. Tragic, I know."

"Possessing butterflies, huh? You're referring to akuma, I presume." Adrien's histrionics failed at eliciting much of a reaction out of a slouching Luka, aside from a stifled yawn.

"Y-Yeah, that's right. They can strike you down at any place, any time, _anywhere_. All it takes is a spark of fury or sadness, and Hawkmoth can have you do whatever he wants. End result: total chaos reigns all around Paris, until the cloaked fiend achieves his true goal: Obtaining Ladybug and my… uh, _Cat Noir_ 's Miraculous. It's an ongoing struggle, and all of us must play our part, including me, in making sure my friends and family are always protected from that monster and his wicked plans for world domination…"

Adrien's somewhat hammy narration, complete with invented 'whooshing' sound effects and much dramatic hand movement, was suddenly interrupted by Luka's slow sarcastic clapping. The musician clearly felt it was time for the singular audience to give some feedback, and didn't they have a lot to say.

"So, let me get this straight… you decided to track your 'friend' all the way here, to the most laid-back cafe in the entire country, a place which even hipsters have called 'too mellow', because you thought she was in danger from being infected? And you say that you're a regular here, even though you seem to know about none of this? Hmm… something doesn't add up, Adrien. And do you know what that is?"

"Um… c-can I think about it…"

" _All_ of it. Your sudden appearance here, at a locale you've clearly never been to before, conveniently at the same time as me and Marinette are talking. The way you leapt up like a jack-in-the-box, at the slightest notion you might be able to accompany her home. Your less-than-plausible excuses for being here, which get more unbelievable with every passing minute. Want to know what _my_ take on all this is, Adrien?"

"W-Well… n-no, I have no idea, Luka."

"You _do_ have a 'thing' for Marinette, and you've got it _bad_. On this subject, I can totally sympathise with you, as I've never been very good at confessing my true feelings to girls either, a streak I was hoping to bust today actually... before _you_ came barging in."

Despite having his own current troubles with churning emotional thoughts, Adrien couldn't help but feel a sizable amount of empathy for the depressed musician. "L-Luka, I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know…"

"...So anyway, as I was saying, I accept that it must be hard for you to blurt out your feelings, or even maybe be honest with yourself about them." Luka's brief second of vulnerability had passed, and now he regarded Adrien with a scowl once more. "What I _don't_ accept though, is being lied to my face, and when I tried to call you out on that lie, you just dig deeper and deeper until you can't escape the giant hole you've created. Not cool man, not cool."

A guilty-looking Adrien didn't quite know how to address that specific allegation, and as he strained to process everything, Luka continued with his ongoing chastisement.

"Marinette has told me so many good things about you, it's a shame and to be frank, a bit disappointing, that you should feel you have to resort to this level of duplicity to fool us both. I won't tell her about the length of your attempts to mislead us both or the reasons behind them, and I don't want to be your enemy either, just because we like the same girl. All that I will say is that I _am_ declaring my interest in her today, and I intend to pull out all the stops to 'win' her over. If you feel the same way, then you're more than welcome to join the 'pursuit', but let's make it a fair fight, shall we? We're a bit too mature for underhanded tactics and sabotage, wouldn't you say? May the better man win!"

Adrien's somewhat befuddled mind was still attempting to catch up with Luka's announcement and its future implications, when he felt a firm hand grab his own and shake it vigorously. "So, it's agreed then. I just hope that, whatever the outcome, we can still carry on being friends after this. If nothing else, the perks of being seen out-and-about with a celebrity like you should be able to land me a few choice spots this summer, when I attempt to launch my music career! Well… must dash. I promised Juleka I'd watch the Monster Marathon with her tonight. I swear, nothing seems to faze my weird sister. Apart from chick flicks, of course. Anyway, let the games start tomorrow. See you soon, 'worthy opponent'!"

And with that, the almost effortlessly cool Luka ditched the scene, leaving in his wake a half-empty glass of lemonade, a chuckling feline kwami who'd found the entire encounter _hilarious_ and a very bewildered Adrien motionless in his seat, murmuring anxiously to himself as he rapidly scanned the walls, as if checking for hidden cameras to see if this was some kind of elaborate prank.

" **W-What the heck just happened**?! A-and, what on Earth did I just agree to?!"

It was at this juncture that the perturbed manager decided to wander on over, for he too had something to tell the distracted model.

"Sorry son, I don't care how famous you are, you have to order something to stay here. Monique tells me all you've ordered since arriving is free water, which won't keep us in business. These tables are reserved for paying customers, so if you're not going to purchase anything, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to…"

Adrien's pale complexion stopped the older man in his reprimand once the burbling model had turned to acknowledge his presence, and the manager's officiousness quickly turned to concern upon realising that the teenager looked quite ill.

"E-Er, if I may say so son, you don't look the whole ticket. Would you like me to call someone for you? Your parents? A cab? The local hospital…"

"A 'love doctor' would be good 'round about now, but I don't think they exist…" Adrien snapped out of his self-imposed mental bedlam, and realised with growing certainty he needed to get the heck out of there as soon as possible. "There is _one_ thing you can do for me, though."

"And what might that be, young sir?"

"Actually, it's more for a friend of mine. A very greedy, often obstinate little creature, but still a friend nonetheless. Put some Camembert on the cheese and wine menu, if it's not too much trouble? Okay, that's it. Gotta go."

And with that bizarre parting request, Adrien left the nonplussed manager and his eavesdropping staff behind, to collect his own private thoughts together and decide upon his next course of action.

In the meantime, the manager had his own minor epiphany, after the surreal conversation that'd just transpired in his acclaimed eatery that day.

"Monique, remind me never to let any of my kids be megastars. It clearly screws them up something _awful_."

…

Meanwhile, a bit further across the City Of Lights, a thoroughly chewed-out blue-haired girl was staring mournfully out of her bedroom window at a pair of newly-scrubbed pink jeans blowing gently on the washing line, a place which she'd be well acquainted with over the next two weeks, as per the terms and conditions of her punishment.

She wasn't thinking about her future custodial sentence right now, though. Instead, there was a pretty graphic image of herself in her head, being caught in a desperate tug-of-war between a handsome blonde model and a suave wannabe musician.

"Oh Tikki, what should I do? I'm so lost..." She screamed loudly, before burying her head into a pillow.

And for once, the ancient being with a huge fount of excess knowledge had no easy answers.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aanndd things only get more convoluted from here. Hope you're enjoying the fic so far, don't forget to comment down below and what you think will happen next. Well, catch you later. :)


	6. Chapter 6

After the somewhat turbulent last twenty four hours she'd just suffered through, Marinette-Dupain Cheng obviously hoped that the following day would prove to be substantially quieter and stress-free, so her jangled nerves could catch up with her beating heart and establish some kind of blissful equilibrium.

Unfortunately, her hopes were not just destined to be dashed, they would be smashed to smithereens on the floor, broken beyond all repair. _Oops_.

The nightmare started, aptly enough, with yet another nightmare. There she was in her tormented head, perched on top of a high tower just like Rapunzel, but instead of having obscenely long hair, she just had her regular blue locks in bunches. She might not be a Disney princess, least she wasn't going to clog the drain after having a shower.

She _did_ have her Ladybug yo-yo in possession though, despite being out of her superhero costume. And there, far down below her, either side of the tall structure that she was apparently a 'prisoner' in, were not one but two familiar suitors. Each one vyed for her affection by brandishing roses that matched the colours she most associated them with… yellow for Adrien, and light blue for Luka.

"Choose me! I'll always be true to you, and keep you safe from any danger. Even in the pouring rain! Remember that, do you? " The charismatic, down-to-earth Adrien exclaimed, looking absolutely splendid in a tuxedo and tails.

"Nah babe, you wanna pick me! I'm such a rebel, and every day with me will be a new adventure! Rock on!" There was Luka stating his case too, wearing a ripped leather jacket and _super_ skin-tight jeans.

"You've only known that guy all of five minutes! Who knows what terrible paths he'll lead you astray on?! Stay with what you know, and be mine!" Adrien stopped pleading with the lady on high long enough to regard Luka with the strongest of frowns.

"Don't listen to him, dudette! He just wants to keep you caged up all his life, like his Dad's done to him! Go for me, unless you want to die of boredom!" Luka rolled his eyes at his rival's alleged 'stick-in-the-mud' tendencies.

"Hey, 'Rock Star', I bet you can't do this." Adrien had heard enough childish insults from Luka, and decided to display his true talent, hopefully weighing the scales in his favour. "Check out this sexy pose… this hot pout… my youthful charm and exuberance which has enabled me to insure my face for a million euros! Face it, Luka: when it comes to charming the ladies and selling overpriced fragrances, there's only one name in town, and it _isn't_ yours!"

"Oh, _yeah_ 'Pretty Boy'? Well I'd be ashamed to live on my good looks alone, with nothing under the surface." Luka humphed at Adrien's suggestion he was the superior choice between the pair, before reaching behind him to pull out a familiar guitar. "Check this out, for example. The day you can play a stunning riff like this on your precious piano, is the day I'll go into retirement early and spend the rest of my life gardening! Here we go, party people!"

So it was, stuck in between a strutting, flexing Adrien, and a strumming, yowling Luka, that a nonplussed Marinette was at a slight loss what to do next.

She'd just figured out she was _supposed_ to use her yo-yo to lasso just one of her potential dates way up there, so they could live "Happily Ever After' together, as the fairytale goes. But she had a few problems with that scenario, even in the fantasy land of dreamworld now.

"First of all, both of you embody the worst aspects of your real-life counterparts, so I don't really want either of you right now. Secondly, who on Earth wants to spend eternity on top of some rickety old tower?! The stupid thing looks like it should've been condemned _years_ ago! Lastly, what the heck am I wearing...?"

Marinette gestured down at her own outfit, some kind of gorgeous floral wedding dress. "I'm only _fourteen_ , for goodness sake! I'm not ready to get married yet and I'm pretty sure it's illegal anyway, even in France! Tell you what: as soon as the pair of you graduate, both educationally and emotionally, come back and see me. Until then though, it's a big fat 'no'. Sorry, but that's just the way I feel."

Without a further word, both boys cast disdainful looks in her general direction before heading off on their separate travels, seemingly unprepared that the object of their affection might be such a committed feminist.

Marinette's triumphant espousal of modern beliefs in an olden day setting was short-lived, however… for at that precise moment, she stumbled on a loose bit of brickwork near her feet and began taking the big plunge to the ground below.

Sadly, the only two men capable of catching were long gone, and she'd inconveniently dropped her yo-yo just before toppling off the edge. There was nothing else left for her to do but leave a Marinette-shaped impression on the ground below, and hope that the infernal screaming in her ear would quickly fade away…

….

"...Marinette! _What_ are you playing at?! Your alarm has been sounding off for the last half-an-hour, you're going to be late for school, and you haven't even had your breakfast yet! Come on girl, rise and shine! I don't bake my special cinnamon rolls for just anyone…!"

Instead of being greeted with an extreme close-up of the bottom of a non-existent tower, Marinette opened her eyes to the sight of her concerned mother Sabine shaking her fully awake.

All lingering anger from the previous evening caused by her daughter breaking curfew and coming home covered in soap-resistant lemonade was now completely forgotten. Now there only remained a worried parent, and Marinette realised her first job upon rising was to reassure the anxious woman standing over her that she was absolutely fine now...

...Even though this wasn't actually the case. Put it this way: she had more than enough drama at school already with Chloe's connivances, and in her secret superhero life saving Paris on a regular basis. The second she began experiencing tumult at home too from her paranoid parents, she may as well give up. Everyone needs a break now and then, even Ladybug.

"E-Er sorry mum, guess I was up hitting the ol' books again too late last night…" Marinette replied sheepishly, while releasing a nervous laugh. "Y-Yeah, big exam coming up, you know? All about guitar-playing, I mean modelling, I mean World War III… w-well one of those three, I think?!"

Unfortunately, hating liars as much as she did, Marinette was a little out of practice telling fibs of her own, even little white ones. Add to that the fact that her mother knew her pretty much more than anyone, and her chances of pulling off her impromptu story were reduced to somewhere between 'nil' and 'zero'.

"Don't give me that, Marinette. For starters, I've never known you to be this stressed out during study time before, usually you plan your schedule perfectly to avoid sleep deprivation. Also, I'm sure I heard you shout two names from downstairs, over and over again. One was quite muffled, but I think I could just about make the other name out. Who's 'Luka'?"

Upon hearing the very mention of that name, especially from one of the _last_ people she wanted privy to her romantic woes, Marinette turned a deep shade of crimson, and not a healthy one either.

"W-What do you mean Luka? I-I didn't say Luka! D-Did you say Luka?! I-I probably just said 'Look here' as in 'Look here, it's time for school!' Which is where I should be rushing off to now, come to think of it. We'll talk more about this later… definitely. Absolutely. _Maybe_. Well, caio! I mean, bonjour! Merci! Bye-bye!"

And with that somewhat confused farewell, Marinette slipped right under the nose of her astonished mother and underneath the rest of her covers, to make a determined dive downstairs. Her plan was almost foolproof, as she even managed to escape her father's attention at the front desk, as inundated as he was by the early morning baguette crowd.

There was only one minor hiccup to her otherwise brilliant scheme, though. Nothing major, but perhaps a small aspect that might put a slight dampener on things.

She hadn't yet had the chance to get dressed. _Oops_.

Also, unlike the last time she ventured outside in her pj's with Adrien in the middle of the day, it was now the break of dawn. Lots more people milling around not at work, and lots more chances to be embarrassed… without the welcome distraction of a supermodel by her side.

And, as total strangers pointed in amazement and phone cameras clicked non-stop, embarrassed she was.

" **NNNNOOOOO**!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: After a slight hiatus, I have returned. HURRAY! And as an added bonus, this time away has enabled me to figure out exactly where I want to take the plot, so expect faster updates from now on. :)

Also I see we have a new Luka character tab, I'll get right on and add that now. Well 'til next time… Au revoir! (see Marinette, THAT'S how you say it. :p)


	7. Chapter 7

Meanwhile, just as Marinette was going through somewhat of a living nightmare, Adrien Agreste was experiencing his own personal problems. The only difference between the two being that the blonde's difficulties had little to do with being underdressed in public (as a model, he might've been more comfortable with that scenario anyway) and more as regards a certain overbearing father of his.

"It is simply _unacceptable_ for you to give your bodyguard the slip yet again, and gallivant around town as if you were some kind of carefree commoner!" Gabriel Agreste berated his son severely, referring to his dash for freedom the previous day. "Plus, you never picked up when I tried calling you constantly, so you had me worried sick! What would have happened if you were recognized and someone tried to kidnap you? They know I'd pay any ransom to ensure your safe return, didn't you think of me at all when you embarked on this little escapade of yours?"

"Dad, it's not like I fell off the edge of the map! I told you, everything was fine. I just felt like The Gorilla would've made the people I was with feel a little uneasy, plus if anyone _did_ try to bundle me into the back of a dark unmarked car, I can defend myself better than you think..." Even in the midst of this tense tongue-lashing, Adrien couldn't help but smirk slightly about his father's naivety about his dual superhero existence.

"Adrien, this is not the time to be complacent!" Gabriel warned his errant child strongly, but a hint of anxiety flickered across his face as he spoke. "Your judo and fencing lessons won't be able to protect you against some of the nastier characters lurking out there who could do you some serious harm, and you'd do well to remember that! This is why you should keep Bernard, or 'The Gorilla' as you so charmingly refer to him, around at all times! He might 'cramp your style' as you kids say these days, but I guarantee that when it comes to personal protection, his skills are second-to-none!"

"Oh, that sounds like a _great_ way to live!" Adrien wasn't usually this surly, but the combination of the ongoing problems in his lovelife and his father's non-stop attempts to keep him confined like some sort of exotic caged bird began to bring out his sarcastic side. "Tell you what, next time I need to use the toilet, I'll invite 'Bernard' in with me, shall I? Maybe he can flush for me it as well… is that one of his areas of expertise, too? Like his 'sparkling' conversation? You need to be careful around him… once he gets talking, you'll never get away!"

Gabriel sighed at his son's unsubtle way of making his point known, and suddenly the more senior Agreste bent down to tenderly take the young model's hands in his own. "Adrien, Bernard might be a man of few words, but I can tell you right now he cares about you almost as much as me, so please don't mock him in that derisive manner. Don't forget, he wasn't able to stop your mother from disappearing, and I don't think he's managed to look himself in the mirror since. So, I think you can afford to give him a bit of leeway regarding his perhaps occasional overprotectiveness…"

If anything could draw Adrien out of one of his mood swings, it would be any kind of reference to Emilie Agreste, although he didn't feel too inclined to speak about her at this precise moment. "O-Okay Dad, point taken. If I wander off in the future, the least I can do is inform you where I'm going so you don't have to worry. It still doesn't mean I appreciate being followed everywhere I go by a humongous guy who stands out in any environment that isn't a wrestling ring, but I know both of you have my best interests at heart."

"That's my boy!" Adrien nodded in satisfaction at his son, glad that he was finally able to pierce his aloof shell in some small way. "Now, aside from today's after class itinerary which we've already discussed at great length during breakfast, is there anything else you'd like to talk to me about before my first big conference of the day?"

"I-I…" Adrien was about to mention the minor fact that his heart felt like it was being subjected to a particularly severe bludgeoning thanks to a certain blunette's charms, but at the last second decided to scrap that particular plan. His father might be able to teach him a lot about brooding incessantly in dimly lit rooms, but he doubted he could offer the lovesick model any pertinent love advice. "...No, it's nothing."

"Are you _absolutely_ sure?" A worried Gabriel gazed down at his flustered child momentarily, as if he knew his son was holding something back. "Well, if you change your mind, don't hesitate to call my private number, I'm always available to talk to you. Except for today mostly, as I have a procession of events lined up like you wouldn't believe. In fact, I must go now and see if Nathalie has left my notes in the elevator again. It's a bit embarrassing to stand up in a room full of industry bigwigs, and be flapping your mouth silently like a fish out of water! Miss Sancoeur, please come to my office this minute! Thank you son, that will be all for now."

Realising that this 'meeting' was finally over, Adrien wasted no time in grabbing his school bag as he sauntered out of Gabriel's office, just as the older Agreste began haranguing his long -suffering assistant over the intercom. Still deep in thought as he was with his own inner turmoil, he didn't spot a notoriously cheeky cheese-gobbler emerge from his satchel to float nearby.

"I'll never understand you humans and your obsession with working yourself half to death." Plagg pondered out loud, as he hovered by his Chosen while the two made their way downstairs. "I mean, what is sitting at a desk all day shuffling paperwork and listening to boring speeches compared to eating your weight in cheese one hundred times over? Priorities, priorities!"

"Believe it or not, some of us actually have to work for a living to pay the bills, Plagg. We're not all eternally youthful supernatural beings who can survive on a diet of dairy products and smart-alec quips!" Adrien rolled his eyes for no doubt the first of many occasions that day at his saucy companion, before something that never occurred to him before suddenly popped into his head. "Hang on, exactly where do you pack away all that Camembert, anyway? In all the time I've known you, you haven't gained an ounce, even though you literally devour half my allowance alone in stinky cheese! Where do you put it all?"

"Who knows, Adrien. It must just another one of those mysteries of being a kwami like: How can we float through walls, how we could transform two useless nerdy kids into cool superheroes, how we can stay confined in a tiny box for hundreds of years without getting bored...though honestly Master Fu sir, would it have _killed_ you to throw in a Rubik's Cube or something equally amusing for the duration of my imprisonment? It's alright for Tikki, she's just happy with counting the spots on her back repeatedly for hours on end. A complicated brain such as mine requires a bit more stimulation than that…"

Adrien nearly facepalmed there and then at his kwami's 'witty' repartee, regretting he'd asked the blabbermouth feline in the first place. "Okay, let me stop you right there. Question One: Who or what is 'Tikki'? Or is this just another cheese-induced figment of your overactive imagination? Question Two: If you've really been 'imprisoned' for hundreds of years as you claim, how do you know about Rubik's Cubes? I'm not totally sure, but I think they weren't around before the 1980's. Finally, what you call a 'complicated' brain, I would refer to as warped, if not sometimes downright sadistic. In all the time you spent annoying your previous hosts, have you ever looked into maybe getting some professional hel…"

"Hi, Adrien! Sorry I can't stop to chat, but apparently your father wants me for something very urgent. The car is waiting for you outside, so when you've finished talking to yourself you can get going to school. Bye now! Hope you have a great day!"

"H-Huh?" The preoccupied model hadn't seen Nathalie dash past him until it was too late, but fortunately Plagg was far more on the ball than him, and had quickly made himself scarce as Gabriel's put-upon assistant had charged past him to the second floor.

Rather than be grateful to his annoyingly lovable kwami for his quick reactions though, Adrien was still mildly irritated at once more being given the verbal runaround by his miniature friend, and yet again after a heated exchange he'd been left with more questions than answers.

 _One of these days, I'll get you to open up to me, Plagg, and all the cheese in the world won't stop me from uncovering the truth. Until then, eat long and heartily, for I've got my eye on you…_

….

If it wasn't an irrelevant kwami giving him a headache, or a somewhat negligent father wanting to keep tabs on him wherever he went, it was his perplexing 'crush' on Marinette that was giving Adrien huge palpitations in all his major organs.

 _Oh, what am I supposed to do…_ the model thought in earnest to himself whilst slouched in the backseat of his expensive motor, with his eyes trained on the wide shoulders of his mute driver. _Well there's no point in asking you I suppose, Mr Gorilla, or should I say 'Bernard'. If you could speak, you probably tell me to take up bench-pressing or weight-lifting, but something tells me Marinette isn't the kind of girl who'd be impressed by physical strength alone. No, I have to be more like Luka: daring, bold, brash, always knowing the right thing to say. She also seemed to love that fancy guitar of his, though I can't say I blame her. After all, it's so much cooler than the stuffy old piano I'm forced to play. I wonder if I begged very nicely, then Father would let me ditch my boring piano lessons to take up playing a more exciting instrument instead... oh, who am I kidding? He'd never let me get away with that. He would get it into his head that the next thing I'd do was to get a sleeve full of tattoos, and start using cuss words at the dinner table. After all, no corrupting outside influences must corrupt the 'precious' Agreste family line. I know exactly what he'd say, too…_ " **Marinette! Look out!** "

On her way to school that day, a now properly attired Marinette was apparently as distracted as her blonde classmate, and was about to blithely cross the road without looking both ways…

Right into the path of Adrien's sweet ride.

It looked like the contest with Luka was about to be over before it could even really begin…

But not in the way either one would have wanted.

….

AUTHOR's NOTE: Sorry everyone for my extended hiatus. Life problems, depression, lost my will to write BLAH BLAH BLAH you know, the usual.

But I'm back now with a new chapter, and I hope to have this story finished by the end of this season at least (let's face it though, considering how long that's taking, it shouldn't be too difficult), so get yourself ready for more updates hopefully very soon. Bye for now… ;)


	8. Chapter 8

After retreating in haste from the constant barrage of pointed fingers and cameraphones set to record in her general direction, Marinette really did start to fear that her world was falling apart.

It was bad enough that she turned into a gibbering idiot over Adrien whenever the two crossed paths, but now that Luka had emerged onto her romance radar, the situation was apparently spiralling out of control at an unstoppable rate.

Her already legendary clumsiness was ratcheted up by around 110%... the weird dreams she sometimes had were now a regular occurrence… and now she was even bumbling outside in her nightwear during the day, too.

 _If 'love' is supposedly this great and magical thing, why am I such a nervous wreck just at the thought of the word…_ Marinette seethed internally, as her father used his considerable bulk to cover her underdressed body so she could slink back indoors.

"Everyone, get out of here this instant! Unless… you're here for the fresh bagels. In which case, they'll be ready in around ten minutes. Please form an orderly queue towards the side entrance, and I'll be with you shortly." Tom remarked to the sizable crowd, before slamming the door shut and turning to the other two present members of the Dupain-Cheng clan.

" _What_ is going on here?!" The usually jovial man bellowed at his sheepish daughter. "First, your mother tells me you arrived over an hour late for your curfew yesterday, with those designer jeans we bought you for your birthday completely ruined! Now, you're running around the street in your pyjamas at the crack of dawn, and disrupting our early morning business! What's happening with you at the moment, Marinette? You're usually the together and organised one in our family, but right now it seems you don't know whether you're coming or going!"

"We're not mad darling, we're just slightly… _concerned_." Sabine spoke to her daughter in a slightly softer voice, but like Tom worry was plastered all over her face. "Something is obviously bothering you, and it's affecting your behaviour a lot. Now, you know me and your father try to respect your privacy as much as we can, but if this sort of thing carries on, we think it might be best if perhaps you spoke to someone about it, maybe a professional. Unless… you have something you want to tell us both now?"

Marinette gazed lovingly at her parents who were linked arm-in-arm, the ones who'd raised her, clothed her, fed her, brought her up to be a fine upstanding citizen/superhero and were now pleading with her to divulge all her current troubles.

 _Could I really tell mother and father about my crush on two boys at once? Describe all the raw emotions running through my head, go into great detail regarding my embarrassing symptoms, reveal my biggest secret to them, apart from the small matter of me being Ladybug?_

The answer to that question arrived much sooner than she'd anticipated

 _No. Freakin'. Way._

So it was with a heavy heart but steely determination that in rapid succession, Marinette kissed both of her parents fondly, grabbed a cooling hot roll from the table and darted upstairs to finish off her morning preparation in the bathroom.

Ignoring Tom and Sabine's shouts of surprise, she exhibited great skill in putting on her usual school attire whilst simultaneously taking small nibbles out of the foodstuff gripped in her jaws.

 _Sorry Mum and Dad_ … she thought guiltily, as she next focused on brushing her teeth, _but I'm not quite ready for all that drama yet. One day soon I promise I'll sit down and tell you everything, but for now please heed my wishes and let me sort my own head out, before it gets even more messy with your involvement too. Thank you._

After Marinette was done, the agitated girl was able to depart the bakery without further interruption, as both her parents were now hard at work with the day's deliveries and the throngs outside had long since dispersed.

Unfortunately, the clear roads outside did not accurately reflect the blunette's tempestuous mind, and a fierce storm continued to blow in her head on the way to school. She ambled along on her usual route alright, but there was no real perception of her surroundings, on account of the incurable case of 'lovesickness' she'd found herself afflicted with.

...Which, in short order was followed by her absent-mindedly stepping directly in front of Adrien's limousine… and now you're all caught up.

…..

Whatever The Gorilla's (aka Bernard) faults might have been (such as a lack of people skills and a less-than-sunny disposition) possessing poor motoring reflexes was not one of them. Thank God.

Even before Adrien began shrieking like a banshee in his ear to avoid the dazed blunette in front of him, the oversized bodyguard had already taken evasive action. By abruptly slamming on the brakes and sharply twisting the steering wheel to the right, he was able to just avoid the sleepwalking girl by inches, as well as make a very attractive tyre track pattern on the tarmac.

"H-Huh?" Having a large metal vehicle skid by you at high speed tends to rouse even the most dozy of pedestrians, as was the case with Marinette as she finally snapped out of her coma just in time to see Adrien's expensive car grind to a halt. It didn't take long, judging by the scene around her and the shocked faces of passers-by to figure out the events that had just transpired, and what the blunette wouldn't give to just 'bug out' right then.

"I-I didn't see you… I-I didn't know… I-I'm so s-sorry…" those were the stammered utterings of a girl who's preoccupation with her lovelife had almost led to her untimely demise as roadkill. The _last_ thing she needed that stressful morning was someone else getting mad at her for feelings beyond her control, which is why Adrien's sudden interception was so timely and welcome.

Staring The Gorilla down from the backseat as if to let him know 'I got this', the kindly model wasted no time in rushing out of the car to put his coat around the still-shaking Marinette. In the same motion, he gently guided her over to where the limo was still parked haphazardly on the pavement, as if the fact that he'd be giving her a lift now was beyond question.

Ignoring Bernard's disapproving glare to get his friend settled, Adrien waiting until they'd set off again and she wasn't trembling quite so much to enquire as to her state of mind. "Are you okay, Marinette? You kind of just appeared right in front of us back there. Is there anything I can do to help you? You do seem a little pale…"

"W-Wrong? What could possibly be w-wrong?" Marinette reassured her brave rescuer none-too-convincingly, as she put on a nervous laugh. "I-I was just thinking of the big test we have later on, you know, the Math-Eng-Hist-Geog one. Y-Yep, that's the one! I-I t-think?!"

"Wow, sounds like a real toughie! Four subjects all in a single lesson. Let me know if you need anybody to study with beforehand." Adrien attempted to calm down the aggravated blunette with a joke, even though he now had a bad case of the jitters himself. "S-So anyway, sorry for gatecrashing your date with Luka yesterday. If I'd known you and him where there at the same time as me, I would've found somewhere else to stare at the wall and order loads of free water."

"W-Wha… a _date_?" Marinette reacted somewhat aggressively to Adrien's slight slip of the tongue. "I thought we cleared all this up already, Adrien! Me and him were just there as new friends getting to know each other. There was nothing even vaguely romantic about it! R-Really!"

 _Well, that's not the impression Luka's gotten_. Adrien noted to himself, but wisely kept his mouth shut. "Oh, okay. My apologies, I didn't mean to say that. I actually spent a bit of time with him yesterday after you'd gone, and may I just say he seems quite the… 'intriguing' chap."

"Oh yes, he's great isn't he?" Marinette beamed out of nowhere, blind to the scowl her enthusiastic remarks caused on the grumpy model sitting nearby. "He made me laugh so much, and he just wouldn't stop paying me compliments! He even wanted to buy me dinner, but I had to say no. Mum would've never forgiven me if I'd ruined my appetite. Of course, by the time I got home late, that was the least of my worries."

 _Even though she didn't see it as a date, sounds very much like one to me_. Adrien's inner voice continued to blare away, but once again he bit his tongue. "A-Anyway, we're nearly at school now. Do you and Alya want to hang out at recess with me and Nino? There's this new track he's discovered online he's desperate to show me, and we could listen to it together."

"T-That sounds like a great idea, Adrien!" The blonde's offer seemed to elicit the desired response from Marinette, hopefully taking her mind off you-know-who in the process. "And just before I dashed out of the bakery this morning, I managed to grab some mini eclairs we can share, too. Me and Alya will meet you at the usual spot in the shade, providing you can get a permission slip from Chloe to come and join us, of course."

Both of the teens laughed at that, and as the posh motor came to an abrupt halt just outside the college, their spirits were considerably improved from the lows they'd experienced earlier.

Adrien realised, what with his going to the same educational facility as Marinette, that this gave him automatic home advantage in his upcoming 'contest' with Luka, and boy didn't he intend on using it.

Marinette, on her side, just couldn't wait for the welcome diversion of lessons to begin, and the simple pleasure of hanging out with good friends to take her mind off her ailing heart.

So the two teens greeted with understandable consternation the sight that awaited them as they stepped into Miss Bustier's class that day, just as life was beginning to return to some semblance of normality.

A small group clustered around Marinette's desk, which once parted upon her arrival, revealed a troubling or cryptic sign, depending on who you were.

A single light blue rose, a beautiful fragrant bloom freshly plucked that very day, and upon it attached a note which did not make any mention of the sender at all.

Instead, written on there was 'IT'S ON' in big capital letters, a blunt statement which possibly made sense to only a single other person standing in that room...

...And the guitar-playing gigolo who'd paid for it and dropped it off, naturally.

….

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Next part is up folks, and this where things start to get heated. Grab your popcorn, cancel your plans, and get settled in. It's going to be a doozie… ;)


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